Appearance: Land mass immediately to the left of most of England. Approximately the size of Wales.

I went there once. They seemed to be experiencing some kind of vowel shortage. Wales is an independent country with its own language and culture.

When you say “independent”, don’t you mean “part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland”? In your universe, maybe.

I like to think of the universe as my universe. I bet you do.

In which universe is Wales an independent country? In the Marvel universe.

I have not been there. It is the universe inhabited by the superheroes of the Marvel comics film franchise.

Really? I have seen many Marvel films and the characters never seem to get around to debating the pros and cons of Welsh self-determination, or even mentioning Wales. Maybe not, but in the new film Black Panther, a Welsh flag can be seen displayed alongside the flags of other nations in a scene set in the UN.

What are the producers of Black Panther playing at? Do they know something we do not? It may be an in-joke. Lynwen Brennan, the general manager of Lucasfilm, is from Pembrokeshire, in south-west Wales.

Does the Welsh government have any comment on this sudden promotion? Are they worried about the extra paperwork? A spokesperson said: “From flags to filming locations to record-breaking dramas and feature films, Wales continues to punch above its weight – a real life Marvel.”

What does that even mean? I think it translates roughly as “Visit Wales”.

Right. Have there been any other signs that Wales is preparing to go its own way? Not really, no.

Good. A second harbinger of any kind would be worrying. Now that you mention it, the 1,000-year-old Buttington Oak, planted on Offa’s Dyke to mark the border between England and Wales, recently fell over.

Does that mean Wales is breaking off from the UK mainland and floating out to sea? Almost certainly.

Do say: “Croeso i Gymru! Please have your passports ready.”

Don’t say: “Do not get Hulk started on the Irish power-sharing agreement.”